Wire-bound box.



L. G. & R. STEELE. WIRE BOUND BOX. APPLIGATION FILED APR. 5, 1913.

Patented Jan. 5, 1915 2 SHEBTS-SHEET 1.

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LIQSAYY L. 0. & R. STEELE. WIRE BOUND BOX. APPLICATION FILED APR. 5, 1913.

Patented Jan. 5, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

//v VE/VTO/TS 5V gem e flwbw /77 ro/mrmr LEE C. STEELE, OF PLYMOUTH, AND ROSCOE STEELE, OF NORTH MANCHESTER, INDIANA.

WIRE-BOUND BOX.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 5, 1915..

Application filed April 5. 1913. Serial No. 759,215.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LEE C. STEELE and RoscoE STEELE, citizens of the United States, residing. respectively, at Plymouth and North Manchester, in the respective counties of Marshall and W'abash and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire-Bound Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates generally to an improvement in wire bound boxes of the knockdown type, and more particularly to a reinforcing means for the separable box section whereby such sections may be readily disconnected for knockdown purposes, while providing an interbracing fit when the sections are assembled in box forming relation.

The main object of the present invention is the provision of a specific type of cleat designed to be applied to the sides and top ofthe box, and independently formed upper and lower cleats for the ends of the box, whereby the cleats, when secured to the re spective sections for which they are designed, will interfit and interlock when said parts are arranged in box forming relation to permit of their being held in such relation byda single removable connection for each en The invention in its preferred form of details will be described in the following specification, reference being had particularly to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a perspective view illustrating the improved construction. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cleat for the sides, top, and bottom. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the cleat used at the top and bottom of the ends. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section taken on a line centrally of the box. Fig. 5 is an end view of the box showing the same in partly knockdown condition.

Referring particularly to the accompanying drawings, the improved type of box in so far as the interfitting cleats for the sides, bottom, and top are concerned, has been described and claimed in a vco-pending application filed of even date herewith, and for the purposes of this particular invention may be briefly described as follows.

The box shook, which as well as the other generally mentioned parts of the box, are designed to indicate any special or preferred type of such boxes, includes a bottom 1 and sides 2, connected in the usual manner by binding wires '3 secured in position by staples l. The top 5, shown in Fig. 5, has the usual tie wires 6 secured by staples 7 and terminally inter-twisted to provide eyes 8. The cleats 9 for the sides, bottom, and top, illustrated particularly in Fig. 2, comprises a section of suitable material havinga length corresponding to the width of the particular box section with which it is to cooperate. The respective ends of the strip are beveled at one end on approximately a angle, and the relatively inner edge of the cleat being provided with a tongue 10 coextensive in length with the length of the inner edge and approximately one-half the width thereof, the tongue being arranged with one side in coincidence with one side edge of the cleat proper.

The cleats described are secured to the sides, top and bottom immediately adjacent the end edges of such sections, the cleats of the top and bottom being disposed in similar arrangement with respect to the location of the tongues, and reversely with respect to the tongue arrangement of the cleats of the side. As thus arranged, the cleats of the sides, top and bottom will, when the parts are assembled in box forming position, have a full endwise bearing throughout their beveled ends, the tongues of the cleats of the top and bottom interfitting in rear of the tongues on the cleats of the sides.

For boxes of the knockdown type, it is of course apparent that the ends must be readily separable to permit of the knockdown operation, and that therefore means must be provided for interlocking the ends with the remaining sections, to secure such ends in desired box forming relation.

The present invention deals more particularly with the end interlocking means, such means being in the form of cleats illustrated more particularly in Fig. 3 of the drawings. As shown in such figure the cleats comprise strips 11 having a length somewhat less than the widths of the ends and being cut away for approximately half their width at the respective ends to provide tongues 12. The tongues 12 have a dimension lengthwise the cleat 11 corresponding to the projection of the tongue 10 beyond the main section of the cleat used for the sides, top and bottom, while that reduced length of the cleat 11 in advance of the tongue, as at 13, corresponds to the dis forming a shoulder having a depth vertically of the tongue corresponding to the projection of the rib l beyond the main surface of the cleat for the top and bottom of the box. M

The cleats 11 are secured to the ends 15 of the box in such position that the remote edges of said cleats will aline respectively with the upper and lower endsof the ribs 10 when the parts are in box forming relation. The cleats 11, of which there are two, termed upper and lower cleats, for each end are secured to the end in relatively re verse position, that is the upper cleat will have the cut away shouldered portion 14 uppermost, while the lower cleat will have such shouldered portion in the lowermost position. When the box shook is assembled in box forming relation it will be noted that the cleat tongue 10 of the bottom will interlock in rear of the tongues 10 of the side cleats, and that in applying the ends thereto, said tongue 10 of the bottom cleat will accurately lit the shouldered portion 14 of the lower end cleat, the tongues 12 of said lower end cleat at the same time fitting in rear. of the tongues 10 of the side cleats. The tongues 12 of the upper end cleat will fit in rear of the tongues 10 of the side cleats at the upper ends of said tongues, the shouldered portion 1a of the upper end cleat forming a space to receive the rib 10 of the top cleat. The ends of the relatively forward portion 13 of the end cleats fit snugly between the proximate surfaces of the tongues 10 of the side cleats, so that when the parts are assembled the ends are interlocked with the sides and the top, as well as the bottom. A single fastening, such as a nail 16 or the like, may be then passed through the relatively upper ends of the side cleats, taking into the tongues 12 of the upper end cleat and the ends of the box.

The box is thus secured in fixed relation, with the sides, ends, and bottom so interlocked that a comparatively simple fastening will fix the parts against possibility of displacement. The top place by fastening the ends 17 of the shook -w1re-bindings 3 through the eyes 8 of'the top, will further act to reinforce the entire structure, as will be obvious from the above when secured in 'description taken in connection with the drawings.

What is claimed is 2- 1. A box including cleats secured to the sides, top and bottom each having a longitudinal tongue and disposed in relatively reverse positions whereby the ends of the tongues of adjacent cleats will interlock in rear of each other, end members and cleats secured to the end members having longitu dinal shoulders terminating short of the ends thereof, said cleat ends interlocking in rear of the tongues of the oppositely disposed side cleats and the shoulders overlapping the tongues of the adjacent parallel top and bottom cleats.

2. A box including cleats secured to the sides, top and bottom each having a longi tudinal tongue and disposed in relatively reverse positions whereby the ends of the tongues of adjacent cleats will interlock in rear of each other, end members and cleats having end tongues and longitudinal shoulders secured to the end members, the tongues of which interlock in rear of the tongues of oppositely disposed side cleats and the shoulders of which overlap the tongues of the adj acent parallel top and bottom cleats.

3. A box including cleats secured to the sides, top and bottom having projecting tongues and disposed in relatively reverse positions whereby the tongues of adjacent cleats will interlock in rear of each other, end members and cleats secured to the end members having end tongues and longitudinal shoulders adapted to interlock respectively in rear of the tongues of the opposite side cleats and to overlap the tongues of the top and bottom cleats.

4. A box'including sides, top, ends, and bottom, cleats secured tothe sides and top and bottom, each of said cleats having projecting tongues, the tongues of the cleats of the top and bottom interlocking in rear of the tongues of the cleats of the sides, and

LEE C. STEELE. ROSCOE STEELE.

Witnesses:

L. W. Coon, Gnome Oursorr. 

